Today we’d like to introduce you to Sydney Howell.
Hi Sydney, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My name is Sydney Howell, I’m 20 years old and from Wisconsin. Growing up in the Midwest, I was always longing for more adventure. I often felt uninspired and found myself constantly scrolling through Instagram and Pinterest, admiring photos of van life and adventure photography. Photography has been a passion of mine since I was a kid, and throughout High School, I took many senior photos for friends and family. Before I moved out to Utah, I didn’t really have a niche, and would experiment with my camera and take a long exposure, portrait, landscape, travel, and drone photography. During my Junior and Senior years in High School, I was featured in the school’s yearly art book. I always knew this is what I was most passionate about, and that all it took was a leap of faith. When COVID hit, I had the perfect opportunity to save up money, and in January of 2022, I left the bubble and bought a 1996 Dodge Ram Van. I started working in Park City, living out of my van and solo road-tripping on every day I had off. Since then, I have traveled from California to Canada, specializing in self-portrait photography. My favorite place to go is the Southern Utah Desert, and I love capturing the serenity and vast landscapes with my trusty camera and tripod. With my travel experience in not only the states but internationally, I started a blog. I want to show the world my adventures while explaining the benefits of minimalistic living. With my ‘learn as you go’ approach, my goal is to share my love for the great outdoors with my fellow adventurers who like to explore hidden gems and travel inexpensively.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As in life itself, my journey has not always been a smooth road. I feel extremely lucky that I am able to live this lifestyle, but the ‘van-life’ isn’t as glamorized as the internet puts it out to be. There have been a few times when my van breaks down, leaving me homeless and in a creative rut. The fixes put me back thousands of dollars and sometimes leave me in a situation where I have to ask for help from friends and family. It’s definitely a lifestyle that has forced me to go with the flow and remain flexible. Living alone and on the road also tends to be lonely and sometimes dangerous, making it harder to be motivated to fully experience the great outdoors. As my photography and adventure journey continues, I’ve slowly learned that being lonely is okay. Being comfortable with yourself and having fun by yourself is one of the greatest superpowers you can have. Learning this by living in my van has actually made me more confident in my self-portrait abilities.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Currently, I specialize in self-portrait and outdoor/adventure photography. Traveling to different parts of the world and capturing beauty is my passion. My love for the outdoors began when I was a kid, and my parents would take my family on road trips out west. I was always known as the curious, adventurous and daredevil kid of the family. As I got older, road trips slowly turned into international trips, as my parents always taught us the importance of experience rather than materialistic objects. When I was 16 years old, my dad, sister, and I set off on a “Trip Around the World” where we flew from Chicago to Thailand, to India, to Dubai, to London and back to Chicago in 10 days. This all happened because I had managed to find flights for $900 in total. My proudest moment was presenting the itinerary to my dad and saying “Wanna go on an adventure?”
This trip changed my entire life. I had wider eyes, I became more curious, and my love for the world and all the different cultures, landscapes, and experiences became vast. I had always had a love for photography but this trip multiplied it by a thousand.
That’s how I started self-portrait photography. It became my little niche. Since I already knew so much about photography and had experimented so much, starting my van journey and photographing that became so much easier.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
All it took was a leap of faith for me to fulfill my passions of adventure and photography. Instead of school, I worked hard, earned money, and left the bubble. This lifestyle has been more rewarding than anything and I tell everyone who wants to peruse this lifestyle to take that same leap of faith that I did and do it!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sydneyontheroad.com/
- Instagram: sydney_howell12
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@sydneyhowell4531/featured
